Worker’s Lunch
While they did seem to be real construction workers, this image of them eating lunch on a steel beam was staged for the camera. They may have still been brave enough to take a picture on a beam, but we doubt that was their preferred location for eating lunch.
General Grant At City Point
Can you see what’s wrong with this picture? Yes, General Ulysses Grant and his horse weren’t actually at that camp, they were added later. In fact, that isn’t even the General, only his head is: the body and horse belong to Major General Alexander McCook.
Asian Tsunami
Sadly, we’ve seen our fair share of real natural disaster pictures to spot a fake at a glance, but back in 2004, we weren’t as used as we are today.
Mussolini’s Horse
Ok, this image was clearly staged, no doubt about that. But Mussolini couldn’t do that pose while keeping the horse steady, so a handler was needed for that. Said handler was, as expected, removed in post.
World War Edit
It’s hard to spot, but you can likely guess it by now: the planes on the top and the soldiers below, among other things, weren’t really on the same scene. Created by combining negatives, photographer Frank Hurley said that this was a better way to capture the war. Maybe, but it’s still a staged picture.
The Battle Of The Somme
This is a supposed picture of British soldiers advancing on enemy territory. In reality, it’s a still from a film, and those are just actors. You can’t get any more staged than that.
